This is it, guys, me baring my soul. Design soul. Or lack thereof.
I've been searching Pinterest and blogs and pre-made paint sample pallets and I cannot find the colors I want to combine. Anywhere! Some come pretty close, like these:
I like 'em all, but they're just not ME! So here is me:
Note: I made up the color names. Except 'Bedford Gray'. That's a Martha Stewart color. The 'Silver Blue' is actually 'Silver Sage' from Restoration Hardware, but it's discontinued anyway. I haven't done any homework to find real paints that look like the collection above--they look different depending on your home's light and what other colors you have going on anyway! The "perfect gray" might not look perfect next to your hardwood floor, and this sagey green might look weird in your super bright kitchen. You know? I just find myself being drawn to these colors over and over, so I made up my own color palette card, mkay?
Here's something funny (or dumb) about gray and me. When I first starting blogging (2 1/5 years ago) I hated--HATED--all the gray rooms we were starting to see. Hate! They looked so cold and drab to me. But now... Yeah, I get it. I see gray as a great neutral and some shades can be very warm and calming.
So because I can, I want to explain a few things for the record. The large gray square represents the living room, if you couldn't tell by the couch and coffee table. I currently have a whole set of pine furniture like the armoire and you know what? I like it! I like it natural and I don't want to paint it, even though everyone else seems to have painted their pine sets years ago. I like the natural wood and the shades of brown and gray. I might paint part of some of the pieces, like the black base on the coffee table above. We have a brown couch right now--well, in storage--but I'd like a new one and think charcoal gray might be a good choice for my family. I might be on the gray paint band wagon, but I can't get on the paint-all-your-furniture one or the white-slipcovered-couch one. More laundry? Never!
Anyway, I went through a phase where I tried to take out all the red in my living room. I liked some of it, but that deep red shade just kept creeping back! I must just love it too much. I do want to incorporate more of the silvery blue. It looks so pretty with charcoal, and plays nicely with scarlet too. I think it can be a great neutral, and besides, I've always been in love with blue. Just ask my Grandma--well, if you could go back in time, you could ask my Grandma what color dress she was making for me. It would be blue, and my cousin would get a matching pink one. I've always had a blue bedroom too. Love it!
Ok, the sage green. I really do like that color, and it seems if it's more gray and less yellow that it pairs nicely with gray and silver-blue and scarlet. I need to be careful about the shade of green because I would like to use the browner gray as a kitchen cabinet color, if I ever need to paint my own cupboards again. But my Grandma who sewed me blue dresses earmarked her special collection of desert rose dishes to me. They have a sage green in them (along with pink and cream and brown), and I'd love to work them in as a display in my kitchen. And use them too!
I chose the milk white as another accent color for things like ceilings and trim. I like that it's almost gray but still looks very clean and light. I wouldn't want to accidentally get a yellow-white.
Alrighty then, looks like we've come full circle! What do you think of my color pallet? Are you stubborn enough to find a way for all of your favorite colors to play nicely together?
PS: I have no idea when I'll get to put this color pallet into action. Our housing situation is very much up in the air after the first week in December. I know God has something awesome planned for us and am very excited to find out what it is! You know I'll share, as soon as I can! Meanwhile, your prayers are appreciated! ~E
